The reported assistance adds detail to Washington’s support for the Saudi-backed offensive against the Houthis, even as it declines to conduct airstrikes itself. Axios reported that the US continues to provide intelligence and targeting assistance but is staying out of direct combat for now. US Central Command opposed strikes because they would divert attention from Iran, US officials told Axios.
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government launched operations Sunday to retake Houthi-held territory nationwide as Houthi forces cut the Taiz-Aden route. Drop Site News reported that Houthi advances through Al-Turbah and the Al-Safiya junction gave them control of 25 kilometers of the Taiz-Turbah road. More than 70 people were killed in fighting in Taiz province over 24 hours, sources told AFP.